In my childhood, Easter was a time that my mom would drive us over to my great-grandparents' farm in Tarentum, PA where we six Zockoll kids would run around my Grandpap's (Mike Paholich's) 65 acre farm, looking for Easter baskets filled with chocolate and jelly beans.
Although I enjoyed the excitment of the day, I can honestly say I never really figured out the odd secular celebration. The idea of a rabbit carrying eggs in a basket for everyone in the world was preposterous to me even at five years of age, even while I was hanging on to a belief about the winter-time visits by a guy in a red suit and flying reindeer. I couldn't stand the thought of jellybeans, especially after we spilled a bag of black licorice jellybeans against the heater of the VW bus and endured the smell all the way back to Hershey, PA. Never did like the ham dinner ( I don't like ham anyway) or the full suit and tie I was to wear.
As a junior high kid one rainy Easter weekend at my grandparents, I kept eating hardboiled eggs. Ate 32 of them in two days. Took me over ten years to even look at a hardboiled egg.
But what I did like was a good message on the rising of Jesus. That was, and still is, awesome. Here is hope for the next life and comfort from Someone bigger and much better than me. It's a simple but powerful, universe-altering message.
And here is an important truth from the Scriptures. In John 11 ... Jesus is speaking to Martha who is mourning because of the death of her brother Lazarus...
25) Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection (Greek: anastasis) and the Life. The one believing toward Me, even if he should die, he will live.
26) And everyone living and believing toward Me should never die. Do you believe this?
Note this: Jesus clearly teaches that He is the Resurrection. The Resurrection is not a happening, it is Himself–the resurrection is Jesus Christ. Bill Klein of "Greek Thoughts (http://www.studylight.org/) states:
"Additionally, after His resurrection, He is known as The Resurrected One. Jesus' pronouncement is the scriptural basis for salvation, empowerment, and hope for everyone who ever believes toward Him."
Other Greek words talk about the event of resurrection, but Jesus Himself is the only One on which this special Greek word (ana = up, esthmai -= to stand) will be used. He is much more than the instrument making resurrection happen. He is the means by which is is possible at all.
He came out of that tomb and set a new course of history for you and me if we just follow Him. Yes, that's what I want to do. Follow Him.
